All for Sunday brunch.
Kia remembered her years growing up when she hated dressing for dinner. Sometimes she'd longed to order pizza and watch television as she ate. Strictly forbidden in the Rutherford household.
It had been a good place to grow up, though. She had been sheltered and protected. She went to the right schools, and all her friends were from the right families, and the Rutherford princess had never known a moment's pain.
Until she married the reigning prince of her father's offices. And what a disaster that had been.
"You're looking beautiful, sweetheart." Her mother turned her cheek up for a kiss. "Isn't she beautiful today, Timothy?"
Her father grunted in a no-response tone while sneaking Kia an amused wink.
"He's no help whatsoever," her mother fussed as they sat down.
"I was supposed to be helping?" Her father's lined face wrinkled into a pretend scowl.
Her mother shooed at him before turning back to Kia.
"I saw you leave the ball the other night with Chase Falladay. Are you two seeing each other now?"
That was her mother. She never put off to tomorrow what she could be nosy about today.
"Chase and I are just friends, Mom," she told her firmly, but it hurt. Oh how it hurt. Deep inside, in a place that had never known pain until Chase.
"Just friends?" Her father's voice rumbled in that fatherly, warning way. "I'm not so old I don't remember what that means."
Kia leaned back in her chair as the maid placed coffee and water in front of her before her assistant came bearing food.
"Just simply friends, Daddy." She gave him a firm look of her own. "Chase is a very nice gentleman."
God was going to strike her dead for that one.
"Hmphf." Her father grunted again and gave her a knowing look, though he dropped the subject.
"Well, that's too bad," her mother said. "We're not getting any younger, Kia. Grandbabies would be nice."
"A husband would be nice first," her father growled. "The other fathers are carting their sons-in-law around like extra baggage. Where's mine?"
"And the other mothers in my bridge club have grandbabies," her mother told her. "They babysit." Her mother sighed. "I would make an excellent babysitter, Kia."
"Yes, sir. Yes, ma'am. I'll run right out to the husband store and then to the baby store and take care of that before I head home today."
She was unaware of the edge in her voice. She tried to keep it light and amusing, and she missed the look her parents shared. Full of concern and confusion.
They were parents. They knew their daughter. She had shadows under her eyes, and there was an edge of disillusionment that even Drew hadn't been able to put there.
Timothy sipped at his water, his gaze sharper on his only child now. He would never forget receiving that call, two years ago, that his daughter was in trouble and her husband was possibly abusing her.
He had rushed to her apartment, found her in her bathroom, hysterical, wrapped in a towel and begging him to get her out of there.
The need to destroy Drew Stanton rode him often. The little bastard still worked for him, but only because the son of a bitch was still paying her alimony. And if Timothy heard of any more shenanigans going on where Kia's charity functions were concerned, some heads were going to roll.
Not that his daughter deigned to tell him about it. No, he had to play games to learn the information from others. She was too independent, too determined. She always had been.
"She's getting cheeky, Timothy," Celia pointed out.
"Yes, I heard it." He nodded, giving his daughter a mock glare. "Perhaps we should go shopping with her, Celia. A family effort, so to speak, so she doesn't take too long making up her mind."
Finally, a spark of laughter lit Kia's gemlike eyes, and she lowered her head, a light laugh passing her lips.
"You two are impossible," she groaned.
"We're parents," he reminded her. "Now, eat your food. I heard your aunt has you busy with the party tomorrow night. Don't let her wear you down."
"And your dress arrived here by mistake Friday," her mother informed her. "You can take it home with you tonight. We'll send Farrell with a limo to pick you up. You are not arriving in a cab. I don't want to hear about it."
"Yes, Mom." She almost rolled her eyes, but caught her father watching her.
He was almost grinning, hoping to catch her.
"There's a nice young man at Delacourte-Conovers you might like," he told her smoothly. "Very handsome gentleman, I'm told. Related to those two young hellions, Lucian and Devril. Daniel Conover."
Kia stared back at her father warningly.
"Well, he has strong features." Timothy shrugged. "He'd sire strong boys."